of immortality; and that genius which is directed to the noble ends of purifying the heart, and elevating the understanding-to disseminating religion, and preparing the minds of the young and susceptible for the most important duties of this world, by sanctifying all impulse with the aim and object of a better-which tends, in fact, in the best of ways, to meliorate mankind, by giving the control of all action to religious principle-is certainly entitled to more lasting and grateful remembrance, than all the brilliant imaginings that ever were conceived. English literature, in the nineteenth century, has been adorned with many illustrious females. In history, in fiction, in tragedy, in poetry, it has produced women worthy of all admiration, who have achieved the highest honors enchanted popularity could bestow, and silenced for ever the point, mooted by jealous and ungenerous schoolmen, of the comparative inferiority of the female intellect. Joanna Baillie, Mrs. Opie, Mrs. Bray, Miss Edgeworth, Lucy Aitken, Mrs. Macauley, Mrs. Jamieson, Mrs. Somerville, and a host of others, have trod every walk of genius, and tried and excelled in every grace of the wide diversity of talent.

But, Hannah More, with a reputation and with powers equal to any of them, has a glory peculiarly and distinctly her own. After her first celebrated and successful essays, its brilliant fame, its assured success, its tempting facility, allured not her strong mental powers into the fascinating walks of fictitious writing, or the more solid and elegant paths of discursive literature. Her situation and her reflective mind had opened to her the new, interesting, and all-important field which lay before her, in the direction and proper culture of the female intellect; and her resolution once taken, to that one purpose she bent all the energies of her capacious and extraordinary mind. Nothing ever tempted her from the execution of the severe and mighty duty she had imposed upon herself; while her elegant taste and matured understanding gave a grace and charm to the literature she almost created, which rendered it unnecessary for its votaries ever to wander from its precincts in search of other beauties than its own.

Religious writing had long been left in the hands of professors or enthusiasts; and had been lamented, by the most eloquent of its advocates, as being often the most dull and unreadable of all human compositions. Hannah More, if she did not remove the reproach, has at least the eminent merit, that it applies not to any of her productions. Religion indeed, or the duties connected with it, are the invariable subjects of her compositions. But her style has an unaffected ease, and an unconscious elegance, and is relieved by so many happy touches of genius-such various illustration-such gems of rare and accurate thought and such an entire earnestness and simplicity, that it beguiles us on from truth to instruction, and pleases, while it improves. One peculiar and marked feature, in all her ethical writings, is their dignity. She never forgets that she is talking to accountable beings of their immortal interests. There is throughout the severe tone of the mentor; but the beautiful benignity of the goddess in disguise, takes all irksomeness from the attitude, and gives us the full benefit of authority, without the awe of being governed. There is likewise more depth of thought in her works than they seem to have received credit for. Her mind was richly stored with the treasures of ancient and

modern knowledge; and her own strong intellect supplied a richness of observation which continually strikes us. The treatise on Practical Piety, and the Remarks on the Character of St. Paul, are works never surpassed in all these particulars, and which add to the treasures of the age. But Colebs' is the theatre where they are displayed to most advantage. In that charming novel will be found more practical wisdom, and more of the philosophy of character, and of the poetry of observation, than could be collected from all the religious fictions that ever were written.

It has been justly and beautifully remarked, that the bright and proud intellectual pre-eminence of England and America was owing to the long-continued influence of evangelical doctrines upon the national character. It is the case; and if we were asked for the author whose writings are the best exemplification of that influence, we would point to Hannah More. She is the representative of the embodied evangelical character of her country. In her literary capacity, she seems a personification of that Spirit which lighteneth the nationssome higher impulse appears to guide her pen-some holier inspiration to breathe upon her thoughts; and every production is distinguished and sanctified by an evident purity of object and design, which the worldly wise have never known, and the worldly learned have never attained.

In contradistinction to this view of Hannah More's literary character, a striking parallel will be found in one brilliant spirit, who, of another nation, and of far different principles, was the representative and the crowned queen of all that literature which is based upon human science alone. To couple the names of Hannah More and Madame de Stael might, at first view, seem to be preposterous; but, taking each in the light in which we place them, as representing the peculiarities of national genius, and their very dissimilarity will show a marked and useful comparison. Each had a mind capable of the highest flights; and in each that mind was cultivated with the most assiduous care. The genius of each found vent in many voluminous productions: but the one had all Europe for her admirers-the other, but a small portion of the English public for her readers.

The author of Corinne' dazzled the world, not less by her melting imagination, than by her profound disquisitions on political philosophy. She analyzed the springs of national greatness, and investigated, with the spirit of a legislator, the character of every people in Europe: and in her elegant chateau of Coppet, with her theatre, and her museum, enjoying her unrivalled reputation, and receiving the homage of genius from every clime, she might be said to rule and regulate the whole republic of letters; for to her sex none could refuse that distinction, which others might have contested with her intellect. Yet, with regard to the permanent utility of her writings-with regard to the advantage of her labors to the lasting good she has effected-how can she compare with the unpretending mistress of Barley Wood cottage! Each had a mind of the first order. The one was filled with all the knowledge of the world, and enjoyed the highest celebrity the world can give; the other was rich in that knowledge which maketh wise unto salvation, and consecrated it to the service of her Maker. Its fruit was gloriously manifested in the moral improvement, to a great

degree, of her own sex, and will reap the nobler reward of proving, for generations to come, of lasting benefit to others!

How high has been the destiny of this gifted woman! Honored in her own country by all ranks, from the monarch on the throne to the peasant in the cottage, who was instructed by her labors, she has given a new and lofty object to the education of her sex. Yet while, in all her works, she never forgot that they were females, she made it a severer duty always to remember that they were Christians; and advancing with that spirit of calm and high philanthropy, which has characterized the age, she has elevated religious literature above the warfare of sects, and the niceties of polemics, to an equal rank with every other, in a time when science and imagination have alike achieved triumphs unknown to former periods.

This slight, and not over-drawn sketch of her character, will explain how glad we are to have any connected view of Hannah More's life and labors; and we accord the work before us the merit of saying, that of these it gives a faithful and most interesting picture-extended though it be, it will not be the less acceptable to the religious public here, where her instrumentality to good has not been less perceptible than in her own country. Had we space, it would have afforded us much gratification to have extracted much from this volume for our readers. It is rich, beyond any work since the letter-writing age of Johnson, in correspondence with the most distinguished persons of her time; many undeveloped treasures of characters, who will live to all time, are here brought to light, and confer an immense value on this work; which, beside illustrating the life and labors of Miss More, sheds a thousand subsidiary lights upon her character from the fame of others, and admits us to the knowledge of a mind of such godlike usefulness, and to literary exertions of such unlimited excellence, that we never have been more delighted with the perusal of any publication.

We understand that the eminent publishing house, who have got up this valuable work with such unusual beauty and cheapness, are about to issue a uniform edition of all Hannah More's works in a single volume. They could not, in their peculiar line of business, confer a greater boon upon society at large; and we trust that an ample sale of that and the present volumes will encourage them in undertakings of such benefit to the community.

On the publication of the volume we have mentioned, we will, probably, embrace such an appropriate opportunity of giving our critical opinion, at length, upon the writings of Hannah More.

SAMUEL DAly LangtreE.

For the Methodist Magazine, and Quarterly Review.

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION.

[It will be perceived from the following remarks, that the author of the Essay disclaims having intended to plead for theological schools, but only to show the importance of theological learning. So we

understood him at the time we published the Essay, that is, in the objectionable sense in which the author of the Strictures' understands theological schools; and hence, as before observed, we think he misapprehended the doctrines of the Essay, and treated them with unnecessary severity. Whatever may be the fate of the question, which has elicited so much warmth-and we shall neither enter into its discussion ourselves, nor allow others to pursue it farther, either here or in the columns of the Advocate-we hope that the efforts making in favor of theological and general education will be encouraged, and crowned with success.

We think, moreover, that the same justice which required us to admit the Strictures in our pages, requires the admission of the following reply; and also, that every writer or speaker has the right of explaining his own meaning, and especially when he thinks himself misapprehended.

For these reasons, though we have no wish to continue the controversy, and much regret the character it has assumed, we cannot deny to brother Sunderland the privilege of speaking for himself, especially as he has said nothing here in favor of the disputed question. No antagonist, therefore, must expect to be heard in its opposition.]

MR. EDITOR,-The Strictures,' which appeared in the last number of your Magazine, written by David M. Reese, M. D., very forcibly remind me of a circumstance which occurred in the vicinity of Boston, Mass., a few weeks ago. The Rev. Mr. T. was giving a public lecture on the subject of slavery; and, in the course of his remarks, he was led to mention some prisons which are in certain parts of this country, and the purposes also for which they are used. Just at the moment when the speaker mentioned the word 'prisons,' an Irishman passed the door of the church, and the sound of prisons' breaking upon his ear, he immediately seized a brick-bat, and, rushing into the broad aisle of the church, threw it with tremendous violence at the speaker's head, As soon as the commotion had subsided a little, this true son of Erin was asked the reason which led him to commit such a rash act of violence. Why,' said he, and ye know that he was praiching against the prisons of the holy inquisition! and how could I bear all that?"

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So it seems, the writer of those 'Strictures' has read the Essay on Theological Education;' and happening to find in it the phrase theological seminaries,' he takes fire in a moment, and, without waiting to ascertain my real object in referring to that kind of seminaries, he rushes upon the author with great force, and denounces, in unmeasured terms, his 'truisms,'' oracular announcements,' 'high misdemeanors,' egregious mistakes,' impious sentiments,' and heavenly-looking heresies!' And I candidly confess, that I should as soon have expected a brick-bat hurled at my head for preaching the simple truths of the Gospel, as that one could have been denounced in this way, merely for advocating the cause of education and intelligence. But then, I consider the admission of those 'Strictures' into the Magazine, as the VOL. VI.-April, 1835.

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highest evidence, perhaps, which the editor could give of his candor, and his willingness to have every thing said which those wished to say who were opposed to his views on the subject of theological seminaries; and I venture to add, that no one article was ever admitted before, into any one of our periodicals, which differed so widely from the editor's views, in some respects, at least; as I am certain, that I never read one which was preceded and followed by so many editorial caveats and disclaimers, in which a solemn conviction is more than once expressed that the writer of those Strictures' totally misapprehended the design of the Essay, and that his remarks, to a great extent, were 'wholly uncalled for, and unjustifiably severe.' Indeed, that the whole of those 'Strictures' were uncalled for,' to say nothing of the spirit and manner in which they are written, I believe every candid reader must have seen, who ever took the pains to read my Essay; and for this obvious reason, I would not now take the trouble to write one word in reply, were it not that my silence might be construed, by some who never read the Essay, and who are not acquainted with its author, into a tacit admission that the charges are true, either in whole or in part, which are brought in those Strictures against it. But though, as I have stated before in the Advocate and Journal, that Essay was written without the most distant idea of its ever being made more public than when it was at first read to a few of my brethren in the ministry; yet I do not believe, that one person out of a thousand who ever perused it, has received the impression from any thing which he found in it, that it was the author's design to that men prove 6 may be made ministers, the same as men are made merchants and mechanics,' without being called by the Holy Ghost to this work. Such a thought never entered my heart, till I found it in the Strictures of D. M. Reese, M. D. I never said this; I never wrote it; I never said nor wrote any thing which, by any honest rules of interpreting another's language, could be made to imply this! Never! And the reader shall see, presently, with what fairness, with what candor, with what Christian courtesy,

* It is certainly not a little singular, that the author of these Strictures should discover a kind of anti-Christian,' anti-Methodistical, heavenly-looking heresy,' 'in fact and form,' throughout that Essay, when no other reader ever even suspected it! Before that unimportant production went to the press, it was read in the hearing of Dr. Fisk, president of the Wesleyan University; Dr. Olin, president of Randolph-Macon College; Dr. Bangs, and the Rev. Messrs. Durbin and Merritt, editors of the Christian Advocate and Journal; each of whom expressed his unqualified approbation of the doctrine advocated in it. And the reader already knows, that it was printed under the eye of Dr. Bangs, with whom the author had frequent conversations on the subject, at the time; but he never discovered the 'heavenly-looking heresy,' it seems, and this he positively declares in his preface to the Strictures.'_ And Dr. Fisk, Dr. Olin, and the Rev. Mr. Merritt had the kindness to read that Essay themselves, immediately after it was printed, but before it was published; and after doing so, each of these respected brethren expressed his approbation of it to the author personally. Now, though there is nothing in the Essay itself of any importance, otherwise than it is designed to set forth the claims of a most interesting subject; yet I think I may suppose, without the imputation of vanity or presumption, that, had there been any thing in the Essay even looking like heresy,' some one of these brethren would have detected it. Were they not as competent of doing this as the writer of these Strictures? And even if the author had never been encouraged to lay it before the public by the approbation of such men in the Methodist Epis copal Church; yet, since it has appeared in one of our principal periodicals, 'their silence speaks aloud.'

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